Fort Carson soldiers train to fight wildfires

More than 1,000 soldiers from Fort Carson are being trained to fight wildfires amid a deadly and destructive fire season in the West.

A team from the National Interagency Fire Center, which coordinates wildfire-fighting efforts nationwide, is conducting the training at the infantry post outside Colorado Springs.

Fort Carson said Monday that if the center asks for help, the soldiers would get additional training and personal protective equipment and could be deployed anywhere in the U.S.

Fort Carson says some soldiers have completed the course and others will wrap up their training on Wednesday.

The training includes classroom instruction and field training on fire behavior, safety equipment and firefighting technique.